(Newser)
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A Michigan man with a serious fear of spiders nearly burned down a gas station, his car, and himself trying to get rid of one of the tiny creatures earlier this week, Fox 2 Detroit reports. According to CBS Detroit, the man was filling up his car when he saw a spider on the gas tank and decided to try to burn it with his lighter. This—obviously—was a terrible idea. The gas tank caught fire, and flames immediately spread to the pump. Fox reports a quick-acting employee shut off the gas, and the man used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames before the fire department arrived.

According to Fox, the pump was completely destroyed, but—somewhat miraculously—the man and his car were barely any worse for wear. He originally tried to blame the fire on static electricity before eventually admitting the embarrassing truth to investigators, CBS reports. "He was sorry," an employee tells Fox. "He said he didn't know. It is just one of those things that happen—stupidity." And the eight-legged object of his terror? "The spider did get burned," she tells CBS.